Kevin leans in the doorway, dress shirt unbuttoned, tie hanging loose around his neck. Watching her. Grinning.

“Baby,” he drawls, “it’s been like… an hour. You sure they ain’t dry just a little?”

Nina arches a brow. “Do you want me to walk outside and end up lookin’ like a puffball?”

Kevin chuckles, pushing off the frame and walking over. “You’d still be fine.”

glancing up, she catching the way he’s looking at her heat behind his eyes, lip still tugged under his teeth.

She rolls her eyes, but there’s a smile playing on her lips. “Don’t play.”

He grabs the blow dryer off the dresser, flicks it on low, and kneels behind her. Gently, he cups the back of her head, parting the perm rods and aiming the heat. Nina hums a little, tilting her head into his chest.

“See, this is love,” she teases. “Helping your girl dry her set so she can be cute for you.”

“Oh, this for me?” he grins, blowing air toward the roots.

“Mm hmm. I don’t get cute for the city.”

She’s warm, wrapped in lace and robe, his fingers brushing her neck while he checks the rods. It’s not about rushing anymore. He’s just soaking in the softness of it all her skin, her scent, her trust.

“I’ll cancel the reservation if I gotta,” he murmurs near her ear.

Nina peeks over her shoulder. “You won’t have to. Give me ten. My man got magic hands.”

He chuckles, blowing one last section. “Damn right.”

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Author’s Note: